TFA Apple Distinguished School

JUNE 2022

The First Academy

PK-12th Grades Private School 1001 students 67 faculty 80% of faculty hold the Apple Teacher Badge Apple Distinguished School since 2015

Apple Products & Services For Students: 1:1 iPad Devices in 3rd-12th Grades, 1:1 MacBook Air Laptops in 7th-12th Grades in August 2022, Apple Pencils For Teachers: iPad Devices & MacBook Air Laptops Technology in Classrooms: Apple TV’s and Projectors Professional Services: Apple School Manager, Jamf MDM, Apple Care, Apple Repairs Apps For Learning: iMovie, Apple Books App, Clips, Classroom, Garage Band, Pages, Numbers, & Keynote

Quest for deeper learning

TODAY, we are more connected than ever bef ore The First Academy rst earned Apple Distinguished School status in 2015, again in 2017, and most recently in 2019. The school has demonstrated a continuous commitment to innovation in teaching, learning, and school improvement. The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic allowed the TFA school community to make accelerated growth in IT and EdTech practices, catapulting the school ahead into an emerging future transformed by technology, with Apple products leading the way. With strategic leadership and a clear vision, the school seized these years as an opportunity to nd strengths and discover areas to grow. Today, TFA classrooms are more connected than ever before, and we need to seize these connections for deeper learning experiences. “Our

continued quest for deeper learning is crucial to the innovation and evolution of our institution.”

VISIO N, problem solver s in any contex t Watch students articulate and defend their Senior Thesis . This interdisciplinary research project revolves around one central question: Where do you see God? The Senior Thesis project stands as powerful testament to the ful llment of TFA's mission and displays the comprehensive use of Apple tools and work ow processes.

Our vision is to unite technology with strong pedagogy to ful ll the school’s mission to prepare children for life as Christian leaders who choose character before career, wisdom beyond scholarship, service before self, and participation as a way of life. Through the use of best practices in teaching and learning and meaningful use of technology, we are fostering critical thinkers and proactive problem solvers in any context.

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“Our graduates identify their unique calling and vocation while in our care and go on to demonstrate their empathy as active contributors in an ever changing world.”

Making LEARNING Come Alive Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals from PK- 12th grades. 5th Grade science teacher Alyssa Vallieres guides students to use their iPad devices to communicate for a variety of purposes to prepare for the annual Science Fair using Apple tools such as Pages, Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, and Classroom. Students present to an authentic audience of peers and experts in the school’s gym and create

iMovies with time lapse features to show their learning over time. As students move to middle school, their project management skills grow and they demonstrate more complex ideas across disciplines. In history class, led by teacher Jeff Rossmeissl, they explore concepts of their faith through synthesizing

information in Keynote. In high school, AP US History teacher Jessica Damron gives students creative liberties to learn from unique time periods such as the 1920’s and subtopics like the The Harlem Renaissance. Students use Clips to

jigsaw their content to teach their peers. In 9th grade, teacher Vanda Harvey and her English students use Apple Pencils and the line draw feature in

Keynote to layer scenes and story elements to make learning come alive. Led by teacher Casey Vaughn, students in Media Production collaborate and produce authentic music using

Garage Band and sophisticated shots using iMovie.

focus on innovative EdTech practices.

SUCCESS, Portrait of a TFA Graduate We will measure success through a

yearly summative assessment that meets observable and measurable goals, as outlined in the Technology Strategic Plan through teacher & student feedback panels, classroom observations, student work samples, stakeholder surveys, and documentation. We will look at key areas of growth in educational technology with impacts on faculty and staff productivity, teaching and learning, digital citizenship, learning space design, scheduling and programming, professional development, strategic planning, and IT infrastructure. Ultimately, we will know we are succeeding in our mission by assessing the portraits of our graduates. Our

portrait of a graduate contains TFA's core beliefs around student spiritual formation, leadership formation, and academic formation. Our desire is that our graduates identify their unique calling and vocation while in our care and go on to demonstrate their empathy as active contributors in an ever changing world.

WHAT ’S NE XT, Unwaverin g Pu rsuit of Growth